Effect of the stiffness of the elastic core on the buckling mode and the critical load for glass-reinforced plastic cylindrical shells in axial compression

Abstract

The effect of the stiffness of the core, treated as a three-dimensional elastic body, on the buckling mode and the critical load is investigated for orthotropic cylindrical shells in axial compression. Parametric equations that permit the easy determination of the critical loads are obtained together with an expression for the stiffness parameter at which the buckling mode changes. The effect on the critical load of a central opening in the core is considered.